Projection method for a motor vehicle, for projecting an image on to a projection surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10173577-B2
Application number	US-201615759636-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2016
Priority date	Sep 14, 2015
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A projection method for a motor vehicle, for projecting at least one image onto a projection surface by means of a light module suitable for projecting a light beam, wherein the projection method includes the steps of detecting an observation position of an observer in a light module reference frame, calculating the observation position of the observer in an image reference frame, and projecting the image onto the projection surface according to the observation position of the observer in the image reference frame, the image being integrated into the light beam of the light module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A projection method for a motor vehicle, for projecting at least one image onto a projection surface by means of a light module suitable for projecting a light beam, wherein said projection method includes the steps of:
detecting an observation position of an observer in a light module reference frame;
calculating the observation position of the observer in an image reference frame;
projecting said image onto said projection surface according to said observation position of the observer in said image reference frame, said image being integrated into said light beam of the light module.

2. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projection of said image comprises the substeps of:
from a light intensity map of the light beam of the light module including a plurality of intensity indicators, calculating a luminance mapping on the projection surface resulting in luminance points;
calculating the position of each luminance point in the image reference frame;
from the position of each luminance point and the observation position of the observer in said image reference frame, defining coordinates of projection of each luminance point on an image plane of said image to be projected;
if said projection belongs to said image to be projected, defining coordinates of corresponding pixel;
for each projection of a luminance point belonging to said image to be projected, correcting an intensity value of the corresponding intensity indicator according to the color of the corresponding pixel.

3. The projection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein calculating the luminance mapping on the projection surface includes the steps of:
performing a first calculation of the position of said intensity indicators on the projection surface resulting in impact points;
performing a second calculation of an illumination mapping of said impact points;
performing a third calculation of the luminance mapping of said impact points from the illumination mapping resulting in said luminance points.

4. The projection method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said first calculation is based on:
the position of the light module; and
the direction of said intensity indicators.

5. The projection method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said second calculation is based on:
the calculated position of the intensity indicators;
the light intensity of said intensity indicators; and
the distance between the light module and said impact points.

6. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the image to be projected is calculated according to properties of the projection surface.

7. The projection method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said third calculation is based on:
illumination of said impact points;
a position vector between the position of an impact point of the illumination mapping and the observation position of the observer; and
a light diffusion function.

8. The projection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein calculating the observation position of an observer and the position of a luminance point in the image reference frame is based on at least one transformation matrix for transforming from the light module reference frame to said image reference frame which takes into account one of the following parameters:
position of the image to be projected in the light module reference frame;
rotation of the image to be projected.

9. The projection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein defining the coordinates of a projection of a luminance point includes the substeps of:
calculating the intersection point between:
the straight line passing through the observation position in said image reference frame of the observer and through the position in said image reference frame of said luminance point; and
the image plane of the image to be projected;
determining the coordinates of said intersection point from dimensions of said image to be projected.

10. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projection surface is considered as a Lambertian diffuser.

11. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projection surface is a ground or a wall.

12. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the observer is outside the motor vehicle or is located in said motor vehicle.

13. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the image appears distorted in the light module reference frame and not distorted in the reference frame.

14. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein calculating the observation position of the observer in the image reference frame is a function of the position and the rotation of the image to be projected in the light module reference frame, said rotation being a function of an elevation angle greater than −90° and less than or equal to 0°.

15. The projection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein calculating the observation position of each luminance point in the image reference frame is a function of the position and the rotation of the image to be projected in the light module reference frame, said rotation being a function of an elevation angle greater than −90° and less than or equal to 0°.

16. The projection method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the elevation angle is equal to 0.

17. The projection method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the elevation angle is substantially equal to minus 35°.

18. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projection of said image to be projected is of the central type.

19. The projection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein correcting the intensity value (Vi) of the intensity indicator (pf) is performed as follows:
Vi=σ.Vi 0 *Co/255, with Vi the corrected intensity value, Vi 0 the initial intensity value of the intensity indicator (pf) of the light module, Co the color of the corresponding pixel, σ a maximum overdrive factor.

20. The projection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein correcting the intensity value of the intensity indicator is performed as follows:
Vi=φ.Co, with Vi the corrected intensity value, φ a luminance coefficient, Co the color of the corresponding pixel.

21. The projection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the observation position of an observer is calculated by means of a camera.

22. The projection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the light intensity map is stored in memory.

23. The projection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the projection of said image onto the projection surface further comprises the substep of projecting by means of said light module onto the projection surface the light beam with the corrected intensity values of the intensity indicators.

24. A lighting device for a motor vehicle including a processing unit and a light module suitable for projecting a light beam, wherein:
said processing unit is suitable for:
detecting an observation position of an observer in a light module reference frame;
calculating the observation position of the observer in an image reference frame;
said lighting device is suitable for projecting an image onto a projection surface according to said observation position of the observer in the image reference frame, said image being integrated into said light beam of the light module.

25. The lighting device as claimed in claim 24 , wherein the device projects said image onto the projection surface, said processing unit is further suitable for:
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Assignees

• Valeo Vision

Inventors

• Albou Pierre
• Morel Xavier
• El Idrissi Hafid
• Sommerschuh Stephan

Classifications

• B60Q1/02 Primary

  the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments · CPC title

• B60Q2400/50

  Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body · CPC title

• G06F3/011 Primary

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title